One Wicked Night (5 page)

Tension seeped out of him. Some tension. But then a different kind of tension filled him at the feel of Nick’s hands on his body and his muscled thighs against his hips. Tyler’s dick swelled against the bed and he imagined Nick’s doing the same, thickening and lengthening in his pants where he now pressed against his ass. He let the moan pass through his lips.

“Feel good?” Nick’s hands kept moving on him—mesmerizing, sensual, arousing.

“Yeah.”

Nick moved away. “Take your clothes off.”

They both tossed off their clothes, and Tyler resumed his prone position, arms bent, and Nick straddled him again, this time bare skin to hot bare skin. Nick’s cock rubbed up and down the crease of Tyler’s ass as his hands moved up and down his back, over his tight shoulders. Every nerve ending in Tyler’s ass jumped at the feel of Nick’s cock sliding there, and his own dick hardened even more against the mattress.

Tyler jerked when Nick’s tongue licked up his back, when his teeth nipped a shoulder muscle. He lifted his head as fire streaked through him, and Nick’s hand slid over his forehead, pulling his head back even farther, and rubbed over his hair. Tyler groaned.

Nick bent low again, slid his hands beneath Tyler’s arms and gripped his fists, cock sliding up and down, sending a barrage of sparks over those sensitive nerves, his body rubbing over Tyler’s back, his face rubbing Tyler’s face. If Nick’s goal was to ease the tension in him, he’d succeeded, but fuck, he’d created a whole other kind of tension. Tyler’s balls tightened and pressure built.

Still stretched over Tyler’s back, Nick released Tyler’s hands and slid his hands into Tyler’s hair. He rubbed his nose against Tyler’s cheek, paused, then licked around his ear. Sensation poured through Tyler, thick and hot. Nick pressed his face to Tyler’s and they lay like that for a moment, the heat of Nick’s cheek seeping into his face, the roughness of Nick’s stubble scraping against his, the weight of Nick’s body pressing him into the mattress, the sound of Nick’s harsh breathing loud in his ear.

Tyler turned his head a fraction more and found Nick’s mouth with his own.

The kiss started off slow and warm, soon passed hot, and exploded into scorching. Their tongues met and tangled, mouths opening wider. Never one to be on the bottom, Tyler rolled Nick off him and arranged himself on top, taking Nick’s mouth again and again, holding his head with both hands. He wedged his thigh between Nick’s, nudged Nick’s cock, and Nick let out a long groan.

“You were horny before we even started this,” Nick whispered when Tyler moved his mouth away to rub his jaw against Nick’s, to kiss his neck.

“Yeah.” Nick knew him better than anyone. Although that comment Kaelin had made earlier had startled him with her scary insight.

“You want her,” Nick said, then gasped when Tyler nipped his jaw. “You wanted her then. And you want her now.”

“I want you,” Tyler growled.

Nick laughed. “I know.” He grabbed Tyler’s head and kissed him hard. “You’re so fucked-up.”

“So are you.” Tyler reached for Nick’s crotch, cupped his junk and squeezed another sharp breath out of him. “Wanna get fucked?”

Chapter Four

Margot and Kaelin sat at the kitchen island drinking coffee the next morning. Margot had slept restlessly and her head throbbed this morning. She rubbed her temples.

“I’m not really into this spa thing,” Kaelin said to her. She glanced at her watch. “But Avery wants to do it for us.”

“It’ll be fun,” Margot said with a smile. “Just you girls. And you’ve worked so hard on the wedding plans, you deserve a day of relaxation. What time is Maddie coming?”

“About ten thirty. Our appointment is at eleven.”

Giving in to the pounding at her temples, Margot slid off the stool and moved to a cupboard where she shook a couple of pills out of a bottle and into her hand. She caught Kaelin’s eye. “Just a little headache,” she said with a smile. She washed the tablets down with coffee.

“I’m sorry again about the scene last night,” Kaelin said.

Margot bit her lip, tension zooming back at the memory. She’d so hoped that Tyler’s homecoming was going to be a reunion full of hugs and long talks about his life. It hadn’t worked out that way. He hadn’t even wanted to stay in their home, instead had gotten a hotel room. She’d hidden her deep disappointment with frantic efforts to serve drinks and food and make cheerful small talk with guests. And then Tyler had somehow managed to antagonize sweet little Kaelin.

She and Kaelin had spent a lot of time together the last few months, working on wedding plans, and a connection had built between them, an understanding that Margot suspected was one-sided. Over the years Margot had learned to hide her feelings deep inside her, to keep that careful, perfect façade in place at all times, so it wasn’t surprising that Kaelin wouldn’t know how she felt, but Kaelin was young and Margot easily recognized that same kind of restless yearning she herself kept hidden. She didn’t think anyone else saw that in Kaelin—she was a sweet girl, well liked at the law firm, loved by the seniors she visited with her little dog, regarded with affection by everyone in town. But for both of them, the wedding had been something in their lives out of the ordinary, something they could throw their energy and creativity into.

There was no shortage of money in the Wirth household, something Margot realized she had come to take for granted, especially when she thought the almost unthinkable thought of leaving her husband. She knew she’d tried to go overboard with the wedding plans. Avery was her only daughter, this was the only chance she was ever going to have to do this, and she wanted it to be so special for her baby. Tyler—would Tyler ever marry? The fact that he’d shown up with Nick in tow resurrected all those crazy doubts she’d had years ago. But Avery had invited Nick to the wedding, and he and Tyler were business partners now, so it wasn’t incongruous that he would be there too.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said now to Kaelin, though she felt how tight her lips were as she spoke. “Tyler has this way of getting under people’s skin.” She immediately felt disloyal, as if she should have defended her son, not blamed him, but Kaelin was sitting right there in front of her, clearly feeling awful about what had happened, and she wanted to make Kaelin feel better.

“That’s true,” Kaelin said quietly. She stared at her coffee.

Avery burst into the kitchen then, with her usual exuberance. “Oh, coffee, good! I need caffeine.” She poured herself a cup. “Isn’t Maddie here yet?”

At that moment the front doorbell rang and Avery popped out to answer it.

“Maddie seems very nice,” Margot said to Kaelin.

Kaelin gave a small smile. “Yes. She is.”

“Well, you girls go and enjoy your day.”

“What are you doing today?” Kaelin asked, rising from her stool and heading toward the dishwasher to put away her mug. Warmth expanded in Margot’s chest, that Kaelin felt enough at home there to do that. Kaelin hadn’t had an easy life, and since her parents had died, Margot had felt almost a responsibility, a maternal need to look after her.

Which was silly, because Kaelin was an adult and capable of looking after herself, but still… Margot knew Kaelin had had to give up hopes and dreams, just as she herself had. When Margot had gotten pregnant at age twenty, had given in to the pressure to marry, which mostly came from Ken, and to drop out of college, her life had changed forever from how she’d always envisioned it, and she knew Kaelin’s life, too, wasn’t what she’d always thought she’d have. With Margot’s own children gone, perhaps it was natural that she’d look for someone else to transfer those maternal feelings to.

Margot smiled. “I have some last-minute things to look after for the rehearsal dinner tonight. Dry cleaning to pick up. A few other errands.” Trivial, boring errands, but at least it was something to take up her time until the dinner that evening when once more her family would all be together and they’d have another chance at coming back together as a family.

Tyler and Nick carried boxes of decorations up to the house Kaelin had grown up in, a small white bungalow in a nice neighborhood. Tyler eyed the neatly painted dark green shutters, the bright flowers in the flowerbeds and the grapevine wreath adorning the front door. He rested the box on the railing of the steps and pressed the doorbell. Immediately a dog started barking incessantly from somewhere in the house, the noise getting louder as the animal apparently charged at the door. Tyler lifted a brow at Nick.

A moment later the door opened and Kaelin stood there holding a small black-and white-dog, some sort of terrier mix, Tyler guessed. The dog still barked its head off, but now that he saw it, he was amused at the difference between the ferocious sound of it and the small size of it.

His gaze moved up to Kaelin’s face, completely bare of makeup, making her look about fifteen years old, sweet and innocent.

“We brought the decorations,” he said. “There are more boxes in the car.”

“Oh. Thank you.” She stepped aside, the dog still growling at them, so they could carry the boxes in.

“Where do you want them?” Nick asked.

Tyler glanced around at the neat interior with shiny hardwood floors, the modern décor of the living room with funky red leather furniture and stainless steel tables catching his eye. How very un-Kaelin-like. It would be like seeing her in a red leather miniskirt and stilettos.

Which would be extremely hot.

Jesus.

“You can just set them here in the hall,” she said. “I’m going to put Taz down, but don’t worry, he doesn’t bite.”

“Like I was worried,” Tyler said, dropping the box to the floor. The little dog ran up to him, but now he was free, he became much less aggressive. Tyler bent and held out the back of his fingers for him to sniff. “Hey, pooch.” He looked up at Kaelin and realized she was wearing nothing but a silky robe, and he meant
nothing
, because he could clearly see her bare breasts outlined through the thin fabric, her sharp little nipples poking out. His groin tightened and he had to swallow and look back at the dog. “What’s his name?”

“Taz.”

He scratched Taz’s head. Damn, he was pretty cute.

“Why Taz?”

“He does this thing when I get home. He gets so excited he spins around in circles. Like a—”

“Tasmanian Devil.”

“Yeah.”

She scooped him up again, and Tyler wasn’t sure if she was protecting the dog, or hoping the dog would protect her, at least by covering her nearly naked body.

They carried in the other boxes. “You gonna need help with this tomorrow?” Nick asked.

“Oh no, I’ll be fine. I have all day to get stuff over to the hotel and pick up the flowers. I’ll be fine. Thanks for doing that today.”

“How was the spa?” Tyler asked. “All buffed and polished?” And he dragged his gaze down her body. Her cheeks lit on fire.

“I suppose,” she said. She held out one hand, her nails all shiny pink with white tips.

“Pretty. Let’s see the toes.”

Her cheeks got even redder, if possible, but she extended one foot out to show her pink toenails. Her feet were as adorable as the rest of her.

What the fuck was he thinking?

“We gotta go,” he muttered, earning a startled glance from Nick. “I need a beer before the rehearsal.”

“Okay,” she said, still holding that little dog, which was looking up at her adoringly. “See you there.”

“I don’t want anyone to walk me down the aisle.” Avery’s voice was low but strained.

“But your father wants to do it,” Mrs. Wirth said.

They stood in the hushed vestibule of First Presbyterian Church, an exquisite building of honey-colored stone and stained glass. Kaelin watched Avery and her mother having their low-voiced argument, her hands clasped tightly.

“I’ve lived on my own for a long time,” Avery said through tight lips. “Nobody owns me to give me away. I’m walking down the aisle alone.”

“But, Avery—”

“That’s it, Mom. Let’s get on with it.”

Kaelin licked her lips and moved to the door to give the signal to the guitarist and pianist. Avery had eschewed the traditional organ for these two musicians, who began Vivaldi’s
Guitar Concerto in D Major
. Maddie started down the aisle, and Kaelin followed her at the appropriate interval.

The rest of the rehearsal went smoothly despite the faint tension buzzing in the air. When they were done, Avery and Scott went and spoke to the musicians while the rest of the group left the sanctuary. Kaelin paused and looked back at Avery. Did she need help with something? Was there a problem with the music? Avery had never decided on a song for the recessional, so maybe that’s what they were discussing. Avery caught her eye and waved for Kaelin to go on to the hotel for the dinner.

Throughout dinner, Kaelin’s nerves felt stretched taut at the tension that still zinged between Tyler and his parents, and between Tyler and her. Avery chatted brightly and nonstop, fueled by nervous energy and several large glasses of wine, and Kaelin had to make an effort for her sake to keep conversation going, but it was exhausting her.

It would help if Tyler would say more than two words, sitting there grim-faced and silent, drinking red wine. She wanted to kick him under the table, but he was too far away from her and she didn’t have the courage to give him hell in front of everyone else. Could she get him out of the room for a minute somehow? She nibbled her bottom lip then remembered that Avery had given her Tyler’s cell phone number earlier when he’d been a few minutes late showing up at the church. She’d just started to call him when he’d arrived.

She pulled her phone out of her purse and, holding it on her lap below the table, she thumbed in a message and sent it. “U R acting like an asshole again. Cld U at least pretend U R happy to be here.”

His phone must be on vibrate because she didn’t hear a thing, but he reached for it on his hip and pulled it out. He read it, read it again, and then his blue gaze zeroed in on her. His mouth twitched.

She lifted her chin and then her wineglass, tilting her head, holding his gaze.